Over-acting voice actors

Meditations

One of the most significant books ever written by a head of State, the Meditations are a collection of philosophical thoughts by the Emperor Marcus Aurelius....

SO BRILLIANT, I BOUGHT THE HARD COPY...!!

By
John J.
on
02-28-15

The Lincoln Lawyer

By:
Michael Connelly

Narrated by:
Adam Grupper

Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

10,888

Performance

6,806

Story

6,809

Best-selling author Michael Connelly delivers his first legal thriller, an incendiary tale about a cynical defense attorney whose one remaining spark of integrity may cost him his life....

Great Legal Thriller, Great Reader

By
Steven
on
10-19-05

The Notebook

By:
Nicholas Sparks

Narrated by:
Barry Bostwick

Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins

Unabridged

Overall

1,394

Performance

921

Story

931

At 31, Noah Calhoun, back in coastal North Carolina after World War II, is haunted by images of the girl he lost more than a decade earlier....

Good story, but hated Narration

By
victoria
on
10-12-16

Suspect

By:
Robert Crais

Narrated by:
MacLeod Andrews

Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

10,114

Performance

9,192

Story

9,186

LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well, not since a shocking nighttime assault by unidentified men killed his partner, Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode....

Gripping Page Turner!!

By
Jacqueline
on
01-22-13

Peak Performance

Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success

By:
Brad Stulberg,
Steve Magness

Narrated by:
Christopher Lane

Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins

Unabridged

Overall

780

Performance

680

Story

676

A few common principles drive performance, regardless of the field or the task at hand....

Everything in this book is valuable

By
Jim Capps
on
09-02-17

Strange the Dreamer

By:
Laini Taylor

Narrated by:
Steve West

Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins

Unabridged

Overall

1,278

Performance

1,192

Story

1,192

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around - and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly....

Good base story, but a little too YA

By
Marina
on
05-12-17

Vanguard

The Genesis Fleet, Book 1

By:
Jack Campbell

Narrated by:
Christian Rummel

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Unabridged

Overall

1,660

Performance

1,559

Story

1,559

Earth is no longer the center of the universe. After the invention of the faster-than-light jump drive, humanity is rapidly establishing new colonies....

Great begining of a new series

By
Duncan R Campbell
on
05-17-17

The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness

By:
Paula Poundstone

Narrated by:
Paula Poundstone

Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins

Unabridged

Overall

471

Performance

440

Story

437

Is there a secret to happiness? Beloved comedian Paula Poundstone conducts a series of "thoroughly unscientific" experiments to find out....

Contemplative, with bursts of laughter

By
Diana
on
05-15-17

Fata Morgana

By:
Steven R. Boyett,
Ken Mitchroney

Narrated by:
Macleod Andrews

Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins

Unabridged

Overall

437

Performance

412

Story

411

Captain Joe Farley and the crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress Fata Morgana are in the middle of a harrowing bombing mission over East Germany when everything goes sideways....

Best one I have heard in some time!

By
The Zombie Specialist
on
10-10-17

Ask More

The Power of Questions to Open Doors, Uncover Solutions, and Spark Change

By:
Frank Sesno,
Wolf Blitzer - foreword

Narrated by:
Frank Sesno,
Wolf Blitzer

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Unabridged

Overall

247

Performance

226

Story

224

What hidden skill links successful people in all walks of life? What helps them make smart decisions? The answer is surprisingly simple: They know how to ask the right questions at the right time....

Good questioning techniques to gain knowledge

By
Michael
on
03-02-17

My Family and Other Animals

By:
Gerald Durrell

Narrated by:
Nigel Davenport

Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins

Unabridged

Overall

633

Performance

485

Story

487

This memoir is soaked in the sunshine of Corfu, where Gerald Durrell lived as a boy, surrounded by his eccentric family....

A thoroughly delightful book!

By
T.K.
on
06-21-08

Artful

A Novel

By:
Peter David

Narrated by:
James Langton

Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins

Unabridged

Overall

379

Performance

347

Story

348

The story of the orphan Oliver Twist is one of the most well-known stories ever told. But it is his friend, the Artful Dodger, who has the far more intriguing tale....

The best of a weird genre

By
Townsend
on
07-06-16

Consider the Fork

A History of How We Cook and Eat

By:
Bee Wilson

Narrated by:
Alison Larkin

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

618

Performance

544

Story

544

Since prehistory, humans have braved the business ends of knives, scrapers, and mashers, all in the name of creating something delicious - or at least edible....

For the foodie/science geek/history buff in you

By
Nothing really matters
on
08-30-14

Society's Child

My Autobiography

By:
Janis Ian

Narrated by:
Janis Ian

Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins

Unabridged

Overall

891

Performance

821

Story

820

In Society's Child, Janis Ian provides a relentlessly honest account of the successes and failures - and the hopes and dreams - of an extraordinary life....

Oh my! What a book!

By
OKCycle
on
12-17-12

Beat the Reaper

A Novel

By:
Josh Bazell

Narrated by:
Robert Petkoff

Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins

Unabridged

Overall

2,239

Performance

1,446

Story

1,443

Meet Peter Brown, a young Manhattan emergency room doctor with an unusual past that is just about to catch up with him....

2009, What Happened?

By
Jim "The Impatient"
on
03-07-16

Cash City

By:
Jonathan Fredrick

Narrated by:
Ari Fliakos

Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins

Unabridged

Overall

1,117

Performance

1,043

Story

1,031

It is an obsession that has haunted Nick Malick for seven years - to avenge the murder of his young son. In his gut Malick knows who did it. But the psychopath is in prison for another crime....

Great New Series

By
Lia
on
08-21-17

Allie and Bea

By:
Catherine Ryan Hyde

Narrated by:
Lauren Ezzo,
Janet Metzger

Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

1,592

Performance

1,429

Story

1,424

Bea has barely been scraping by since her husband died. After falling for a telephone scam, she loses everything and is forced to abandon her trailer....

I did not see this coming

By
Lolasark
on
07-19-17

Publisher's Summary

Like every other hobbit, Bilbo Baggins likes nothing better than a quiet evening in his snug hole in the ground, dining on a sumptuous dinner in front of a fire. But when a wandering wizard captivates him with tales of the unknown, Bilbo becomes restless. Soon he joins the wizard’s band of homeless dwarves in search of giant spiders, savage wolves, and other dangers. Bilbo quickly tires of the quest for adventure and longs for the security of his familiar home. But before he can return to his life of comfort, he must face the greatest threat of all - a treasure-troving dragon named Smaug.

In this fantasy classic, master storyteller J.R.R. Tolkein creates a bewitching world filled with delightful creatures and thrilling dangers. Narrator Rob Inglis will hold listeners of all ages spellbound with his skillful portrayal of hobbits, dwarves, and enchanted beasts.

Story

Classic

I read this as a child and wanted to revisit it now as an adult and I'm so glad I did. I had forgotten a lot of the details and the depth of the story. It was nice to listen to it this time because it gave it a different perspective. What a classic what a treasure.

Quite a journey

I read this book the first time many years ago. I was hooked instantly, and went on to read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I have loved these books ever since.

It was great this time 'round to have it read to me by a fabulous narrator. As I have read other reviews, I was struck by how many people were lucky enough to have a parent read this to them as children, or to read it along with a parent. I did not have that experience and am envious of it. So having Mr. Inglis read it to me is second best. That is not to say his reading is anything but amazing! and I also loved his singing of the songs. I want to believe he made the melodies up himself.

All in all, I was charmed again by this book, by the characters, the journey, the deep meaning, and the flow of Tolkein's writing. I rarely reread fiction, but this one is, and will be in the future, and exception to my rule.

Everything is great...except the songs!!

Where does The Hobbit rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Hobbit is an all time favorite. Great narrating too...except for the singing!! Dear God, I've never heard such tone-deaf, tuneless singing. Tolkien's songs have such beautiful lyrics, and can be read as poetry. I wish the narrator would have taken that approach.

Classic story old recording

Finally! Thank you Audible!

Being a fan of the world of Middle-Earth since I was about ten or so, I was delighted when in Middle School I discovered the unabridged audiobook recordings produced by Recorded Books. As with most of what RB does, they picked the perfect narrator. British stage actor Rob Inglis does an excellent job of bringing the many characters to life, in this case Bilbo and Thorin and Company, not to mention the many characters they meet o their quest to recover the Dwarves' treasure. And unlike most narrators, Mr. Inglis actually sings the many songs sprinkled throughout the story and, while he doesn't always choose what I would consider the right tune for all the given songs, he does have a good tenor. His regular narration style is also extremely pleasant on the ears, and his pronunciation of the names of characters and places is also excellent. Needless to say I was extremely disappointed when Audible removed these recordings from their site some years back and extremely delighted a few days ago when I discovered they'd made them available once again. I used this month's two credits to buy The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring and plan to use next month's two to buy the remainder of the story. If you're a fan of the Lord of the Rings and were disappointed or at least not completely satisfied by the other adaptations out there, you may just be in for a pleasant surprise if you give these unabridged productions a listen. It's much more convenient having them available in digital format since you won't have to worry about tapes or discs wearing out, which they inevitably do eventually. I just need to get myself a bigger IPod.

Even more fun on audio

I've lost count of the times I've read the Hobbit, but picked it up on audio with the deal of day. What a delight! I'm so happy to add this to my audio library now. The master, JRR Tolkien never fails to enchant and this is a really nicely done audio with the songs actually sung and special, fitting voices for the sweet, the mysterious, and the scary inhabitants of Middle Earth. If you have read it before, try it again on audio. If you haven't read it, why not???? Great for audiences of any age.

Victory after all, I suppose!

There are a rare handful of children's books and fantasy novels that definitely deserve to be experienced in different ways (books, movies, audio) and at different times (youth, middle age, etc). I remember my first exposure to this wonderful piece of high fantasy as a child. I loved the world Tolkien created and the way he was able to balance fantasy, poetry, humor and drama. I read it again during the whole 'Lord of the Rings' (LOTR) movie period, and now I've just listened to it on Audible with my own kids in anticipation of taking them to the movie. Wow!

When judging 'the Hobbit', it is tempting to grade it straight against the LOTR trilogy. There is a trap, however, in reading 'the Hobbit' AFTER reading the LOTR. While these works by Tolkien are obviously related, they are very, very different. Tolkien's approach, tone, style and intended audience was a different. If you separate LOTR from 'the Hobbit', gently, it is easier to see the greatness of 'the Hobbit' on its own.

As an adult, I now view 'the Hobbit' more as a Bildungsroman rather than a traditional quest novel. Listening and reading this with my kids, I found myself once more transported not just to middle-earth, but back to my own youth and innocence.

Absolutely Amazing.

I am so glad that this is finally available on Audible! The book is one of my favorites, great all ages. Full of elves, dwarfs, dragons, wizards, goblins, giant spiders... Absolutely fun and engrossing.

I love the narrator as well. He brings the characters to life and his voice is very pleasant to listen to.

Anyone can, and should, enjoy this book. It was written for everyone! As another reviewer said, this is a book (and series) that defined the genre of fantasy. I can't wait to listen to all of them.

And THANK YOU Audible for, when finally releasing the series, and knowing it would be popular, having each book only 1 credit. Certainly worth more, but it means that people who haven't read these amazing books are more likely to take the leap and find themselves enchanted.

I plan on fully enjoying the next 65 hours and 17 minutes of my listening.

Absolutely the BEST

Rob Inglis's narration is clear and crisp with characters finely enunciated--from the individual dwarfs to Bilbo, from Gandalf to the spiders and the dragon! This reading is better than any dramatization (although there are some good ones) because it combines the best of narration with the value of the unabridged text. Inglis also sings the poetry--haunting and stirring melodies performed beautifully. In a way, Inglis paints the text vocally in the manner that Alan Lee painted the text visually. I am thrilled that audible has made the recordings of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series available in the US. Worth every penny/credit!!